When I first saw TDKR in theatres back in 2012, I enjoyed it but it didn’t capture me the way the last two had. I still “enjoyed” it, but something else about it still bugged me. A week later I saw it again with a friend, still liked it, but this time I noticed the serious pacing issues the film has. But it wasn’t just that, something still felt off. I couldn’t figure out what made a lot of people love it so much, and why it just didn’t jive with me.
Over the years my subconscious was still trying to solve this riddle in my brain, and I slowly realized some of the things that bugged me about it. Selena Kyle’s costume is ugly and impractical, which takes me out of the film, after the first two thirds of Batman Begins was dedicated to convincing me that maybe Batman could exist in the real world. And because Selena is such a big part of the movie, there are too many parts of the movie where my brain is telling my that something is wrong, and makes it hard to enjoy.
Bane’s reimagining is a really cool and unique villain, but I have two big problems with him. One is the major plot point where he and his followers violently attack and hack into the stock exchange to bankrupt Bruce Wayne. Except that if such an attack actually occurred, all trading for the day would likely be canceled. For a more in depth look at why this doesn’t make any sense, The Atlantic wrote a good piece on it right here.
My second problem with Bane is the reveal of Talia, which for me, puts everything about his character into question. Is he really as smart as he appears, or was everything 100% Talia’s plan? Does he really understand what he’s fighting for, or is he just blindly following Talia, the way the other members of the League follow him throughout the film? On top of all these questions, the messy pacing of the film makes rewatching it very tedious. Because you’re watching two hours of one villain who you know isn’t as interesting as he appears. I wrote another paragraph about why Bane and Talia doesn’t work, but then I remembered that’s not important to the point I want to make here. I also just remembered that Joseph Gordon Levitt’s character is in this movie...damn this movie is a mess.
But when I really think about, TDKR’s serious structural problems are not what bothers me so much.. The problem is a much deeper one, on the thematic level. In the beginning of the film Bruce has become a reclusive shut in, who’s let his body, his persona and his company whither away. Events conspire that convince Bruce to suit up again, and he goes out as Batman, does some Batmanning for a bit….and loses. He ends up in the hole and gets taunted by Liam Neeson’s Ghost, until he escapes the hole by Batmanning harder. He then returns to Gotham at the last minute and saves the day by by Batmanning some more. Nothing changed. So why was he able to succeed?
I’ve heard it argued that what’s changed is that Bruce realizes he doesn’t have to do this all alone anymore, since he saves the day with the help of Selena, Gordon, the police, and Not-Robin. But that argument rings hollow for me. In Batman Begins, the very first thing Bruce does as Batman, before he even has a completed suit, is visit Gordon and to start building a relationship, because he always knew he couldn’t save Gotham alone. He also provides Rachel with lots of evidence so that she can help by putting corrupt officials away. Then in the finale, he trusts Gordon enough to drive the Batmobile and destroy the support pillar that derails the train while he tries to stop Ra’s directly.
Then in Dark Knight, Bruce is convinced Batman can’t help Gotham take the next step towards redemption, and looks to Harvey Dent. He also captures the Chinese Mobster in the beginning with the help of Fox, catches Joker with Gordon’s help in the middle of the film, and get’s Fox’s help again at the end with the cell phone sonar device. At the end, Batman only chooses to take all the blame himself because he believes it will bring an end to all this. He won’t need anymore help, because he won’t have to be Batman anymore, he can just be Bruce Wayne and have the cops chase a man that no longer exists so Harvey Dent’s name can be saved.
And that’s just it. In the beginning of TDKR, Bruce’s dilapidated state shows us that after hanging up the cowl, he failed at just being Bruce Wayne. That failure is a large part of the impetus for Gotham’s downfall. Had Bruce kept working without the cowl, to keep his company and Gotham in good shape, Talia and Bane’s plan probably wouldn’t have worked. Now this theme of Bruce failing to be Bruce Wayne is in the film, but the film’s answer to his failings isn’t to become a better Bruce Wayne, a better man, a better human being, but to do pushups in a hole until he can punch good again.
The end of the film shouldn’t have had Bruce succeed by doing the ultimate Batman thing, and sacrifice himself, but by choosing not to be Batman. Not by passing on the cowl, and going off to sip wine and sleep with Catwoman in Europe for the rest of his life. But by growing up, taking responsibility and becoming the Bruce Wayne NOT the Batman that Gotham needs. To become the White Knight that Harvey Dent was prevented from becoming. The film should have ended with the Dark Knight “RISING” and become something more.
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